SECURITY staff at University Hospital have been forced to turn people away after its car parks hit capacity.

Huge tailbacks clogged up nearby roads as patients and visitors tried to fight their way onto the Walsgrave site on Thursday.

The hospital has been plagued by parking problems but a proposed solution remains some way off.

In the meantime, traffic chaos is likely to become an increasing problem as the overdue cold snap causes more injuries and illnesses.

One patient said she was leaving the hospital on Thursday afternoon when she saw a security guard turning away motorists because there were no parking spaces.

She said: “People were asking him, what are we going to do? He said, ‘go home’. It’s the only thing he could say. It’s terrible – it’s not the first time I’ve seen it that bad.”

Parking and traffic at the hospital are growing problems as more patients head to its A&E unit. It has been particularly busy this week, but that will be a constant issue during the cold winter months ahead.

And there are fears traffic will get even worse if changes to city bus services convince more patients and visitors to drive to the hospital. One affected service is the number 34, which will no longer take patients from Tile Hill direct to the hospital without having to change at Pool Meadow.

Motorist Dennis Dean said traffic at the hospital was already “absolute chaos”. He said: “The traffic was queuing right back onto Woodway Lane in Walsgrave.

“I just don’t think the hospital has got enough parking spaces – I don’t know how ambulances are supposed to get in and out.”

Ambulance chiefs admit their crews are regularly held up by heavy traffic around the hospital. In emergencies they sometimes enter via a side gate to avoid the gridlock. Hospital bosses say their plans for more parking spaces and a second entrance will solve the problem. However, those proposals have already been delayed for nearly a year and have yet to be sent to Coventry City Council for consideration.

They could also face opposition from nearby residents as it would involve building on green belt land and a flood plain.